Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
The new independent documentary Endless Corridor was screened at the Hotel Le Royal located in the heart of Luxembourg, PRWEB UK website reported.
The evening also saw the launch of the book Khojaly Witness of a War Crime: Armenia in the Dock.
"At the end of February, Azerbaijanis across the world commemorate what happened on that fateful night in Khojaly," Fuad Isgandarov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the EU, said. "Azerbaijan is coming to Europe as a success, but its recent history needs to be understood to stop history repeating. We paid a very high price for our freedom, and the Khojaly Massacre was part of that. Azerbaijan is one of the few countries in its neighbourhood to be truly free."
Around 80 business people, students and press representatives attended the event.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.
As a result of the massacre, some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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